South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to choose a successor to President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted following his imposition of martial law late last year.
The announcement came from acting President Han Duck-soo, four days after the Constitutional Court unanimously removed Yoon from office. By law, this decision must be followed by an election within 60 days, with the next president set to serve a full 5-year term.
The election is expected to be shaped by deep political polarization, likely resulting in a two-way showdown between Yoon’s People Power Party and its chief rival, the Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly.
It will be a challenging race for the People Power Party, as it seeks to regain public trust and mend severe internal divisions caused by Yoon’s controversial martial law decree. Much attention will be focused on whether conservatives can rally behind a strong candidate to challenge the Democratic Party’s likely nominee, Lee Jae-myung, who is widely seen as the front-runner.
